HASAt a time when a new political cycle is being prepared for the European Union with the June elections, the President of the Republic delivered a new speech at the Sorbonne on April 25 to give his vision of the future of Europe, as he did so in 2017. The choice of the same place, the importance given to the event and the length of the speech recalled the European ambition of Emmanuel Macron, who had celebrated his first victory in the presidential election to the sound of the European anthem.
Beyond the assessment, with highlighting the essential role of the European response to recent crises (pandemic, energy crisis and war in Ukraine), this new discourse was clearly intended to be programmatic. It was a question of defining a strategic agenda but also of “thinking a new European paradigm”. In an increasingly unstable and conflictual world, the geopolitical, economic and socio-cultural model of the Union is no longer suitable and the meaning of history has changed. A model designed for the end of history and happy globalization risks turning against Europeans as war returns, liberal democracy is targeted and international relations become increasingly tense.
This part of the exercise seems successful, especially as it reflects a strong convergence between Emmanuel Macron’s message and the recent contributions to the debate from major European figures. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski delivered a speech on April 25 on the desire to develop a Europe “geopolitical power”. For his part, Enrico Letta submitted his report on the future of the single market to the European Council on April 17. Finally, on April 16, Mario Draghi presented the broad outlines of his upcoming report on European competitiveness. Everyone notes the instability and conflict in the world, each concludes that unity is strength in the face of threats. If Europe is divided, it is exposed to impoverishment and a loss of influence in a world that seems uncontrolled.
This shared diagnosis directly echoes the feeling of powerlessness, fears of downgrading as well as “identity” concerns in public opinion. And it leads to the call for radical change which must be based around three key issues: prosperity and competitiveness (economic, industrial, technological and social dimension), power and security (geopolitical dimension) and identity (cultural dimension). Either Europeans find common solutions to current and future global transformations (Russia’s aggressive policies; formation of blocs around China and the United States; climate change; development of artificial intelligence, etc. .); or they remain passive and this inaction puts them in danger, even leading the president to use tragic accents: “Our Europe can die” !
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